Come Down To Me
by DarkMoon721
Summary: ...But the only reason you shine, dear moon, is because you have the sun to shine on you. In reality, you're just a dark rock." NearxOC
1. Chapter 1: Things Worth Protecting

Chapter 1: Things Worth Protecting

[Third Person]

Kanako Koshiba was four when she decided Near was going to be her best friend. It didn't start out that way. She just thought he looked lonely.

Near was six and didn't have any use for things as trivial as "friends". And when he thought of people he might have been friends with, Kanako Koshiba was veeeery far down the list.

"Near?" she asked the six year old him. "What are you playing?"

"Chess." He replied, not looking up from the board.

Kanako peered over his shoulder.

"Who're you playing against?" she asked, curiously.

"Myself."

"How does that work?"

"I turn the board."

Kanako made a face.

"Is that fun?" she asked, doubtfully.

"I don't do it for fun," Near said, dismissively.

Kanako sat down next to Near. He paid no attention to her, simply continued to play his game of chess.

"Hey, Near?" she asked, finally.

"Hmm?"

"Are you ever lonely, all by yourself?"

Near looked up at her for the first time. He expected her to have an annoyed expression on her face, maybe even angry. What he did not expect was for her to look nervous.

She was sucking on the end of her reddish-brown pigtail. She had drawn her knees up to her chest, and was rocking back and forth.

"No," Near said, finally. "I don't get lonely."

She seemed to relax. She smiled at him. An adorable, genuine smile.

"Near," she said, "I'll be your best friend, okay? That way, you'll never have to be lonely."

Near gave her a quizzical look. _This girl is quite odd,_ he thought. _But this best friend idea…it's probably just a toddler's fancy._

"Sure," he said to her. "Whatever you want."

Nine years later, it was clear that it had definitely not been a toddler's fancy. No, Kanako had been completely serious.

A thirteen year old Kanako entered the SPK headquarters. She removed the red-brown wig she had been wearing, and took out her green contact lenses. Near turned to look at her.

"Welcome home," he greeted, from inside a tower made out of Jenga pieces.

"Thanks," Kanako replied, smiling. "Did all the other members leave?"

"Yeah. Oh…you dyed your hair _again?"_

Kanako fingered the bright orange strands.

"Yes," she said. "I felt that it was time for a change."

"Your brain will shut down from all the chemicals, one day," Near warned. "Anyway, what's the progress report?"

Kanako sat on the floor next to him.

"I followed Misa Amane to and from work every day," she said. "Nothing out of the ordinary happened."

"Okay."

Kanako looked at Near. He had dark circles under his eyes. It seemed like every piece of the tower he stacked took immense effort.

"Near," she said, gently, "How long have you been awake for?"

"Since 3 A.M., yesterday."

"Near, you need to sleep! I know you want to solve the Kira case, but don't you think the joy of solving it will be dampered a bit when we have to prop open your eyelids with toothpicks?"

"You sound so sure that it will be solved," he said, quietly.

"Of course it will! _You're _leading it!"

He smiled at her. In Kanako's world, Near had no faults.

"If L couldn't solve it, I doubt that I'll be able to," he said, sighing.

"Oh, don't be so negative," Kanako lectured. "And go to bed."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

"You're like a mother," he commented.

"Well, I'm not able to do much else," she sighed.

Kanako had never considered herself a genius. Wammy's House did, and so did the IQ tests, but Kanako didn't think so. Maybe because she had hung out around Near, Mello, and Matt as a child. The stars of Wammy's House. Compared to them, she was not really all that brilliant.

Kanako's real talent was as an actress. Kanako noticed things that most people didn't, and was able to perfectly imitate them. She was also a makeup artist that rivaled Hollywood's top ones.

When Near had told her that he had been assigned the Kira case, she had been horrified. Because if Near had the case, that meant that L was…dead. And if Kira could kill a genius like L, that meant that Kira, too, was also a genius. And a deadly one, at that.

Kanako had begged Near to allow her to help.

"I'll do anything," she had pleaded. "But please…I can't just watch you go face danger on your own!"

"I don't know, Kana…" he had said, hesitantly.

"Then let me do it for L!" she had said. "Let me help avenge him!"

Eventually, Near had given in. Now, Kanako was masquerading as Darkmoon, a model for the same agency as Misa Amane. She was steadily gaining popularity, and was currently working on a CD.

It was tiring, but it was fine with her, as long as Near would be protected.

"Speaking of sleep," Near said, "You look like you're about to fall over from exaughstion."

"Meh," she said, nonchalantly.

"Kana," he said, sternly, "Go to sleep."

"Not until you do, she said, stubbornly.

Near shrugged, and continued to work on his Jenga tower. She yawned, and although she fought it, sleep washed over her.

Kanako awoke at 1:30 in the morning, to the sound of her cell phone. She was on the floor, a blanket on top of her. _Darn, _she thought, _Near won this round, but next time…_

She pulled out her phone, noticing that Near had fallen asleep in front of one of the computers.

"Hello?" she asked, in a hushed voice.

"Darkmoon?" a man's deep voice asked. The voice was unfamiliar to her. This unnerved her, because she never forgot people's voices. Never.

"Um…who is this?" she asked.

The man chuckled.

"Oh, I can't tell you that. But I can tell you this; I know who you are."

Kanako stopped breathing.

"I also know about your little friend," he continued. "Near, isn't it?"

Kanako's instinct was to throw the phone across the room, but she resisted.

"A…are you K-Kira?" she whispered, hoarsely.

"All in good time, all in good time, Darkmoon," he said.

He hung up.

The cell phone fell out of Kanako's limp hand. One sentence echoed in her head, unrelenting.

_Protect Near…_

Kanako frantically glanced around the room. _I don't know what to do, _she thought, desperately. _I don't know!!!!_

She felt lost, like a young child surrounded by adults. Her eyes fell on Near, sleeping. She walked up to him and put her arms around him.

"Hi," he said, sleepily.

Kanako jumped about ten feet in the air.

"Have you been awake this whole time?!" she demanded.

"No," Near said, calmly. "But who could sleep with someone hugging them?"

Kanako was about to point out that most people wouldn't notice, but changed her mind. Near definitely didn't fit under the category of "most people".

"Just out of curiosity," Near said, casually, "Why _were_ you hugging me?"

Kanako's face turned red. _I can't tell him,_ she thought, miserably. _He'll just try to protect me, and end up getting hurt. So I can't tell him._

"Um…I don't really have a reason," she said, shrugging, and giving him a smile.

"Hmm," he said, scrutinizing her. "You know, you really are a terrible liar."

Kanako gaped at him.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "I'm your _spy_! All I do is lie!"

"Well, you're not very good at lying to _me._"

Kanako simply stared. He was good.

"Hello!"

Near and Kanako turned to the doorway. There stood Mello and Winter.

Winter was another girl from Wammy's House. She was slightly older that the rest of them and had (somehow) been the one who helped Mello get together with the Mafia. With her silvery hair, and gray sweatshirt with long gray skirt ensemble, Winter was one of the oddest girls you could ever meet.

"Mello! Winter!" Kanako cried out, excitedly. "What are you two doing here?"

"Ask. Winter." Mello said, through gritted teeth.

"Well…L.A. got boring," Winter explained. "And Kana's birthday is coming up so we thought that we would come and visit!"

"_We_ didn't decide anything!" Mello argued.

"So you were in L.A.," Kanako said, interested. "What did you do there?"

"Were you working on the Kira case?" Near asked, innocently.

Mello's face turned red.

"That's none of your business, shorty!" he shouted, at Near.

"I'm not _that_ short," Near said, pleasantly.

"You think you're so special just because you're number one? Well, how about I show you how special you are, you little twerp…"

Near drowned out the rest of Mello's ranting. He wasn't sure why Mello hated him. He honestly didn't care. It was just annoying.

"…and string you up by your toes!" Mello finished. "Are you listening to me, twerp?!"

"No," Near replied.

"GYAAHHHH!" Mello yelled, so loud, that the card tower that Near had been building fell over.

"Don't you love these get together?" Winter asked Kanako.

For now, the mysterious phone call was forgotten.

**Hi. You can call me Mimi or Darkmoon. Yes, the same alias as Kanako. She's why I took that alias. I hope that you enjoy this first chapter. Anything confusing, or extremly odd, please blame on my lack of sleep or natural oddness. I appreciate any comments/criticizim that you have. **


	2. Chapter 2: Mello's First Love

**Hi, non-existent readers. Heh, heh...that's okay. I'll keep on posting *makes determined face*. My friends read my story and think that Near has too much emotion, being the character that he is. I say that it seems that way for two reasons:**

**1. When the story is told from Near's point of view, he is simply thinking what I believe must be in his head the whole time. However, Near doesn't show his feelings to the rest of the world.**

**2. Kanako knows Near better than anyone else. She also notices things about people that others don't notice. So she sees Near's emotions, and can sense them. Near isn't afraid to be himself around her.**

**With that in mind, please enjoy the second chapter.**

Chapter 2: Mello's First Love

[Near's .]

I was worried about Kana. She seemed jumpy, and nervous, lately. Of course, it's possible that I was imagining things, but I think not.

For instance, the hug she gave me. Kana's always veeeeery careful when I fall asleep because I do it so rarely. She'll tiptoe around me, or go into her own room. But, last night, she hugged me while I was asleep. When she realized that I was awake, she jumped about ten feet into the air.

But it's not just that. I've caught her staring at me, worridly, like there's something she wants to tell me. But she always tells me everything; if she wanted to tell me something now, she could. Unfortunatley, if it's some sort of secret, it might be a bit harder. Because we still have our...guests.

Why Winter and Mello think it's okay to prance into police headquarters as if it were a pizza parlor, I don't know. However, they _are_ our guests, and I have to be polite. Even if they aren't. Winter isn't that big of a deal, she's just loud. But Mello is and entirely different story.

Mello has hated me with a passion since we were children. I'm not entirely sure why, but my best guess is that it's because _I_ am L's successor, and he is not. He could have been my partner, but no. So, really, I don't think he has any right to complain. But he does and he will because he is Mello.

At this moment, I am doing research on the computer and Mello's eyes are burning holes into the back of my head. It makes me slightly nervous. However, I remained calm, and simply turned to him

"Mello," I asked, pleasantly, "Is there something that you would like to say to me?"

I expected him to yell, or to deny it. What I did not expect was for him to stare determindly at his shiny leather boots and ask,

"Are you...do you...like Kanako?"

I stared at him, befuddled.

"Of course," I said, surprised. "She's my best friend."

"Oh, come on," Mello said, rolling his eyes. "We all know that she was like your little sister. But do you_ like_ like her?"

"I assume that you're asking if I look at her in a romantic way," I said, matter-of-factly.

"OF COURSE I DO! WHAT ELSE WOULD I MEAN?!"

"Well, I'm sure I don't know. People tend to not mean what they say, these days," I said, calmly. "As for your question, the answer is no. I have never thought of Kanan in that way."

"Oh."

"Just out of curiosity, why do you ask?"

"Do I have to have a reason?"

"No."

"Well, then, I don't."

And that was the end of the conversation between Mello and me.

[Mello's P.O.V.]

I don't really know why I hang around Winter. She's so bossy. She was my reaccuring nightmare; always showing up when I thought that I had left my past behind.

Like this whole idea she had about visiting Near and Kanako. In what alternate reality would I ever want to visit a place where_ he_ was???? But Winter had declared it, so I had to do it.

I detested it here. The happy little non-couple, in their high-tech research headquarters. And not only was there Near there - who seemed oblivious to all that he had - but there was _her. _Kanako Koshiba. My first crush.

I was a little shocked when I saw her. Not because she was with Near, no, she had always clung to him like he was some sort of god. No, I was surprised by her face.

She had always been an adorable kid. People used to stop and stare at her and immediatley proceed to start talking like babies. She would always be very polite and charming. But I heard her talking to Near, once.

"They talk to me like I'm a baby!" she had complained. "I'm already four years old!"

She had been reading War and Peace, at the time.

So, yes, I still expected her to be cute. What I din't expect was for her to _pretty. _And not normal pretty, either. She was "let's hang you on the top of our Christmas tree and form a cult around you" pretty.

Because of that, I had been thrown completly of guard and into and unnecessary flashback.

*begin flashback*

_"Mello?"_

_ Kanako entered the room. She was eight years old. Her hair was still a reddish-brown color. I was typing up my paper for tommorows class._

_"Shouldn't you be asleep?" I asked her. "It's really late; Roger won't be happy with you."_

_She smiled._

_"You should be asleep, too, Mello," she paused in thought. "Well, I suppose Near isn't asleep, either."_

_ Great. Of course Near's cheerleader was going to compare me to him. She surprised me by hesitantly touching my arm._

_"Did I hurt your feelings?" she asked. There was so much worry in her voice. As if she had commited the greatest sin of all._

_"Nah," I replied, nonchalantly._

_ She suddenly snatched the paper from my desk. _

_"Hey!" I protested._

_"I want to read it," she explained._

_ She sat on the floor, and began to read, intently. I felt surprisingly nervous. Maybe because she was on Team Near and would probably compare me to him. And, of course, he would win._

_ Finally, she finished reading it. To my astonishment, she was wearing a huge smile._

_"Mello," she said, awed, "This is amazing!"_

_"H-huh?" I asked, stunned._

_"This is amazing, Mello! You're so talented!"_

_I stared at her earnest expression._

_"You're...serious?" I asked._

_She nodded_

_ This wasn't adding up. I mean...she was a Near fan. And...I-I...I'm Mello! And people don't like me _because _I'm Mello!!!_

_ But...she seemed honest. And...was it possible that she wasn't on anyone's side? For some odd reason, I felt my heart beating faster than normal. She yawned and stretched._

_"Go back to bed, kid," I said._

_"I'm not tired," she protested, leaning against a pile of books that was bigger than her._

_"Suit yourself," I replied, turning back to the computer._

_ Five minutes later, she was fast asleep, and I was faced with a dilemma. Because I had just developed my first crush on a girl who was probably the most important person in the world to my rival._

_"Oh. There she is."_

_ I looked up to see Near standing in the doorway._

_"Why are you here?" I snarled._

_"I finished reading my book and I thought Kana might like it, so I came to give it to her," Near explained. "But she wasn't in her room. So I went to find her."_

_ He walked over and picked her up. It was a good thing that she was small, because - believe it or not - playing with your puzzles all day doesn't make you that strong._

_ It crossed my mind then. Near was a bit of a freak. I wondered if he had ever had a friend before this little kid came along. I doubted it. I watched, jealously, as Near walked away with the one thing I reeeeeaaaallllly wanted._

I hate flashbacks


	3. Chapter 3: In Which Plans are Formed

**Wow. Everyone here is so nice. Except for you, Superflous-sama (kidding, kidding!!!). Since these characters belong to some of my friends, I'm going to give brief profiles about them.**

**Name: Winter**

**Creator: Superflous-sama**

**Age:...I have no idea, but she's a little younger than L**

**Apperance: Like Near, she is an albino. She always wears a gray sweatshirt and pants, with a long skirt over that.**

**Backstory: Winter originally began working as L's assistant, during the Kira case. She has always secretly loved L. However, that didn't work out (you'll find out about that, later). She was there when Roger told Mello and Near about L's death, and she was the one who drove Mello to Mafia headquarters (in a silver volvo which she purchased, hoping a vampire would be included). Mello has a secret crush on her, but it's mixed with his feelings for Kana-chi. Winter may or may not like Mello; she still has feelings for L.**

**Note: Since my friends and I write seperate fan fictions, yet they are still intertwined with each other, keep in mind that I did not make everything up. I will let you know when this happens.**

Chapter 3: In Which Plans are Formed

[Kanako's P.O.V.]

There was no doubt in my mind. I had to leave. I couldn't endanger Near, like I was doing. It was clear that my potential Kira was planning to make Darkmoon his link to Near and the SPK. And I would simply not allow that.

I was not so vain as to think that I was smart enough to outwit this potential Kira. The mere fact that he had managed to obtain Darkmoon's cell phone number meant that he was incredibly smart. Leaving was the only possible option.

But where would I go? I wouldn't even be fourteen for another week. And I definatley could not pass for older that that. So I would have to have a guardian. I had no living family, as far as I knew. And no adults that I could count on.

Well...there was one. Shortly after he had been assigned the Kira case, Near had told me that it was really only temporary.

"Why?" I had asked, confused.

"Oh," he had replied, not looking up from his puzzle. "Because it turns out L had a fiancee. And a son."

"..."

"His son is still quite young," Near explained. "However, his IQ already exceeds L's. With a few years of training, he should be ready to take my place."

If L's son and fiancee were out there, somewhere...well, they would understand my situation, wouldn't they? Would they understand how difficult it was to have a loved one who was working on the Kira case? But I didn't know their names, much less where they were.

Winter and I were washing breakfast dishes. Near was working on the Kira case, and Mello was pretending _not_ to work on the Kira case.

"Winter?" I asked, hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"Um..." I began, feeling reckless, " Near said...that L had...had a fiancee and a son. Um...d-did you ever...do you know their names?"

Winter turned and stared at me.

"Why do you ask?" she said, suspiciously.

"Well...I just..." I stammered, "I mean, you were such good friends with L...so I thought...maybe..."

Winter sighed.

"Her name's Star," she said. She was determindley avoiding my gaze. I hate it when people do this, because it's much harder to figure out what they're thinking when I can't see their eyes. "Everyone called her that. The only one who knew her real name was L. When he...died, she burned all of her records. And the kid's name is Kio."

Winter glanced at me.

"I don't know what you're planning, Kanako. But you shouldn't go looking for them, or anything like that. Last time I checked, Star and Kio were with the Japanese Police. The NPA has one of those murder notebooks, and it could be dangerous."

I smiled reassuringly at her. Dangerous? Wow, wouldn't that be refreshing. It didn't matter the danger. I now had all the information I needed.


End file.
